Kidnappings by death squads are commonplace in Baghdad; however, mass kidnappings still grab the headlines. In developing news today, as many as 60 more Iraqis were kidnapped from several minibuses and another 15 from a cafe, both in the capital. Another fourteen were kidnapped near Nasariyah; four of the abductees are believed to be American contractors. Also, the mass kidnapping in Baghdad on Tuesday is still a major news item as conflicting reports about it continue to surface. In other events, 83 Iraqis have been killed or found dead today and another 33 have been injured. Also, five American soldiers were killed and two injured in separate events in Diyala and Baghdad.

The military also said that Coalition forces killed nine suspected al Qaeda members in a raid near Yusifiya. And in Basra, British forces came under attack from Katyusha rockets. No casualties were reported there.

Car and bicycle bombs were the note of the day in the capital. In the northern Qahira area, a car bomb killed one and wounded four. In the southwestern Amil district, a bicycle or motorbike rigged with explosives killed a man and wounded two others near a petrol station. A car bomb near a petrol station on Palestine St., in northeast Baghdad, killed one person and wounded four more. Another car bomb on Palestine St., this one near the Al Thawra court, killed four and wounded eight. Palestine St. is a major thoroughfare near Sadr City and often the site of attacks.